NEW state-of-the-art buses from a £2.5m fleet have been unveiled in Blackburn. 

Passengers travelling between Blackburn and Bolton will enjoy creature comforts such as free wifi, mobile phone and tablet charging points, as well as the latest on-screen travel information.

The first of 13 new buses for one of Lancashire’s busiest services – packed with the latest customer-friendly features – were unveiled at a special launch event in Blackburn on Friday.

The all-new buses started running on the busy route 1, between Blackburn, Darwen and Bolton, on Sunday. It represents a total investment of £2.5 million by North of England bus operator Transdev's The Blackburn Bus Company.

The new features include seats with mobile phone holders, USB and wireless charging, digital destination displays and countdown timers to arrival, contactless card payments and live tracking of buses on the Transdev Go app.

Alex Hornby, from The Blackburn Bus Company, said: “We are really proud to be investing in local bus services.

“We want to support the town centres and these buses will do that by reducing congestion and emission levels in town centres. We felt it was important to improve our services on this busy route every half hour to Bolton but now with these buses we have provided a link every 15 minutes. Also buses to Darwen are every seven minutes. This is something for everyone to enjoy and we would encourage them to make the most of it.”

Among the added benefits include low emission engines with Euro VI rating to deliver cleaner air.

The launch took place outside Blackburn Cathedral. The Very Rev Peter Howell-Jones said: “It is an amazing backdrop to stage the unveiling. What better place to do it in Blackburn where there has been a lot of investment and regeneration.”

The sides of the buses are adorned with landmarks of destinations, such as Blackburn Cathedral, Darwen Tower and Bolton Town Hall.